Clouds, The Stars of the Day // Anchovy #1

Soft greys meet subtle whites as the handsome gelding with the poofy short tail trundled about in front of the seafoam at the edge of the waves. They twirled and rolled around his hooves, three white, one black, under sparkling under the moonlit sky. He was truly a sight, his pale coat a beautifully stark difference to the navy blue sea of stars above him, glistening water rippling beside him. The sand was soft beneath his hooves, and his long, cozy day was slowly coming to an end.

Today, he had had a few different humans come up to him with their sparkling, jingling objects. Some attempted to tie the ribbons they adorned around his leg, some braided his mane with them, others tried to tie it around the base of his tail, snug, but not too tight. He personally preferred it when they were put in his mane - he took great pleasure in keeping it clean, but these people were all competing with one another, and therefore would put them wherever they felt would be sturdiest. He was slightly slighter than the average Teddy, but still full of their characteristic wool and personality, and with his height as well, many people look at him with a very keen gaze. He was a stunner, that’s for sure, but he much prefers to sit by the water and take a moment of silence rather than indulging them in their loud hobbies. They would indulge them regardless, of course - he was far too polite to rudely stalk away from them, like someone else in his herd once would, but he would have preferred if they left him alone for a little while before ambushing him.

One noticeably acceptable human who had put a bell in his mane had created an intricate pattern with ease, weaving the ribbon in firmly, before adding the bells on separately. He could not help but commend them for this technique - it saved his sensitive ears from the silver object’s constant noise.

They made it peaceful; enjoyable, even. How nice.

He was vaguely aware of what their goal was - to keep the bell on until he returned home for winter, but the thought of staying with many of these longterm worried him. If he was to leave with one, he would like one like this - quiet, polite, gentle and soft.

The sky was like that. The clouds, more visibly drifting by in day, beautifully calm - the stars of the daytime. Their elegance forms many shapes and sizes, so versatile that they can be anything - then down comes the rain, sometimes soft, sometimes harsh, and then new clouds are formed. He doesn’t quite know how it works, but he knows it does.

The sky always reflects in the water, the deep ocean. He would never step foot too deep into the sea, but that could never stop him from admiring both its natural hues and its reflective beauty. He glanced into the deep blue and saw his own distorted reflection, silver bell and navy ribbon shimmering where it sat.